Daily Devotional
What Prayer Makes God Angry?
“And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments”
Daniel 9:4-5
January 19, 2020
Ponder This
Daniel’s prayer here is not the prayer that makes God angry. Some people think “If we just pray, God will hear our prayer.” My dear friend, it is not so. Prayers of a wicked people anger God. They make the matter worse. It’s an affront to God.
The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). “The Lord is far from the wicked: but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). Again, God says, “One that turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).
Can you imagine—prayer could actually become an abomination to God. The psalmist said in Psalm 80:4, “…How long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people?”
Practice This
Have you ever thought that a prayer of yours, rather than enlisting God’s mercy, might stir up God’s anger? Nothing angers God more than for a people stuffed full of sin and self to be imploring God to do something good for them when they stand in need of judgment. Confessed sin will be forgiven, but it must be confessed. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18).
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
